Withdrawal of Expropriation Bill for further reconsideration
28 August 2018
The ANC Study Group on Public Works welcomes the withdrawal of the Expropriation Bill by the Portfolio Committee on Public Works today. The Committee withdrew the Bill due to the parliamentary process of reviewing Section 25 of the Constitution which is currently underway.
The Expropriation Bill was passed by Parliament in 2016, and returned by former President Jacob Zuma in 2017, due to concerns arising from the public participation process followed by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
In February this year, through a resolution of the National Assembly and NCOP, Parliament instructed the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) to review Section 25 of the Constitution and other clauses where necessary; to make it possible for the state to expropriate land, in the public interest without compensation; and propose constitutional amendments where necessary.
In light of the CRC process currently underway, the Expropriation Bill in its current form has therefore been withdrawn for further reconsideration upon the conclusion of the CRC process.